Now I pretty much take for granted those tall railway viaducts which bring the trains into the city.
Most of us will only give the road below a second’s glance as we start to collect our belongings and debate whether to get a taxi or the tram from the station.
But at street level they are massive structures snaking off into the distance and dominating the area.
Back when they were constructed they cut a swath through the houses, workshops and factories and were in their way some of the first slum clearance projects undertaken in our cities.
Take Temperance Street in the shadow of Piccadilly Railway Station which runs from Fairfield Street down towards Devonshire Street in Ardwick.
For most of that route it runs parallel with the viaduct from Piccadilly and earlier is sandwiched between that viaduct and the one that carried the track into Mayfield Station.
Looking at Andy Robertson’s picture of the street I am reminded of just how dismal these wastelands between railway lines can be.
But it was not always so, because before Mayfield Station was opened in 1910 to the south of Temperance Street was a series of smaller streets packed with terraced housing and all leading off to the Mayfield Dye and Print Works.
All of which went when Mayfield was built and what was lost included everything from Hoyle Street to Baring Street, which amounted to six streets and 96 assorted properties most of which were residential.
And so went Gray Street, Arthur Street, Mayfield Street along with Station Street and Bailey Street with three reservoirs and a school .
In fact everything west of Hoyle Street across to Baring Street.
Now in the fullness of time I think I will go looking for those old houses and some of the people who lived.
But for now I am content to look at Andy’s pictures and reflect on the changes yet to come with the plans for the Northern Hub.
Pictures; Temperance Street, 2014, from the collection of Andy Robertson, detail of Mayfield Works and surrounding streets from the 1894 OS of South Lancashire, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/
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| Temperance Street, 2014 |
But at street level they are massive structures snaking off into the distance and dominating the area.
Back when they were constructed they cut a swath through the houses, workshops and factories and were in their way some of the first slum clearance projects undertaken in our cities.
 |
| Temperance Street 2014 |
For most of that route it runs parallel with the viaduct from Piccadilly and earlier is sandwiched between that viaduct and the one that carried the track into Mayfield Station.
Looking at Andy Robertson’s picture of the street I am reminded of just how dismal these wastelands between railway lines can be.
But it was not always so, because before Mayfield Station was opened in 1910 to the south of Temperance Street was a series of smaller streets packed with terraced housing and all leading off to the Mayfield Dye and Print Works.
 |
| The lost streets, 1894 |
And so went Gray Street, Arthur Street, Mayfield Street along with Station Street and Bailey Street with three reservoirs and a school .
In fact everything west of Hoyle Street across to Baring Street.
Now in the fullness of time I think I will go looking for those old houses and some of the people who lived.
But for now I am content to look at Andy’s pictures and reflect on the changes yet to come with the plans for the Northern Hub.
Pictures; Temperance Street, 2014, from the collection of Andy Robertson, detail of Mayfield Works and surrounding streets from the 1894 OS of South Lancashire, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/
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